Niccolo Paganini - Moto Perpetuo - Guitar Tab

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 5 - I palpiti

2013 4:27

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About Moto Perpetuo

Few pieces will expose weaknesses in your picking hand as quickly as "Moto Perpetuo" by Niccolo Paganini. The title translates literally to "perpetual motion," and that is exactly what the piece demands: an unbroken stream of sixteenth notes in C major, running at 180 BPM with almost no rhythmic relief. On guitar in E Standard tuning, the challenge is sustaining clean alternate picking across string changes for the full length of the piece, since any tension in the forearm or wrist will cause breakdowns long before the end. The right-hand mechanics need to be locked in at a slow tempo first. Use the Practice Toolbar to isolate short runs, loop them slowed down, and only raise the speed once each segment feels effortless. Left-hand fingering choices matter too: mapping out the most position-efficient fingering before you drill any passage will save you from relearning it later. This is a piece that rewards patience and punishes rushing the process. Classical technique built on this kind of study pays off across every style.

• The entire piece consists of relentless sixteenth-note runs in C major, making clean alternate picking across string changes the central technical demand.
• At 180 BPM, maintaining consistent pick attack and right-hand relaxation throughout the full run is significantly harder than nailing any single passage in isolation.
• Mapping efficient left-hand fingering positions before drilling at speed will prevent you from ingraining movement patterns you will later need to undo.